Federal prosecutors say Matthew Farwell, a former detective with the Stoughton Police Department, strangled Sandra Birchmore and staged her apartment to make it appear she killed herself.
What to Know
- Sandra Birchmore was found dead at her apartment in Canton, Massachusetts, in 2021. She was three months pregnant; her death was ruled a suicide.
- Matthew Farwell, one of three former Stoughton police officers who've been accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with Birchmore, has now been accused in federal court of killing Birchmore and making her death look like a suicide.
- Stoughton's police chief, a spokesman for the Norfolk District Attorney's Office, and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office released statements on the new allegations
A former Stoughton, Massachusetts, police detective has been federally indicted in the death of Sandra Birchmore, accused of killing her and then staging her apartment to make it appear she had committed suicide.
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Matthew Farwell, 38, of North Easton, is accused of having a sexual relationship with Birchmore from the time she was 15 years old until she was 23, killing her sometime after she told him she was pregnant with his child. Federal prosecutors say he did so to prevent her from revealing their relationship and his alleged crimes tied to it.
"Sandra Birchmore survived years of grooming, statutory rape and then sexual violence, all at the hands of Matthew Farwell, who was employed throughout the relationship as an officer and then detective for the Stoughton Police Department," acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said at a news conference on Wednesday.
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Farwell was arrested by an FBI SWAT team Wednesday morning in Revere.
Stoughton police, the Norfolk District Attorney's Office and the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office all released statements on the indictment soon after its release Wednesday — Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara called the allegations "a horrific injustice," while a spokesman for District Attorney Michael Morrissey said the office looks "forward to supporting and assisting Federal authorities as they pursue this prosecution." Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell called Farwell's alleged actions "malicious, predatory, and horrific." Read their full statements below.
Birchmore, who was three months pregnant, was found dead at her apartment in Canton in 2021. While her death was originally ruled a suicide, according to the Boston Globe, a pathologist hired by her family found Birchmore's death was in fact a homicide. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the federal investigation reexamined old evidence and discovered "critical new evidence" that led to the indictment.
Levy declined to comment on why federal investigators originally became involved in the case, but said Wednesday they have been looking into it for around a year.
According to court documents, Birchmore became pregnant and around December 2020 told Farwell he was the father of her child. In January 2021, someone allegedly called the Stoughton Police Department to report that Farwell had been having sex with Birchmore.
Birchmore, according to Levy, was reportedly excited about the pregnancy. In fact, according to the FBI, just days before her death Birchmore was making phone calls inquiring about a newborn photoshoot and baby clothes.
Meanwhile, Levy said, Farwell reacted negatively. He spent years grooming Birchmore and this series of events had him "losing control," "losing patience", and "losing his temper."
In February 2021, Farwell strangled Birchmore to death and then staged her apartment to make the death look like a suicide, the indictment states. He is accused of killing Birchmore "with malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately maliciously and with premeditation, and with the intent to prevent the communication by any person to law enforcement officer of information relating to the commission or possible commission of a federal offense." The official charge is one count of killing a witness or victim. If convicted, Farwell faces a minimum of life in prison.
Prosecutors also allege that before her death, Farwell told Birchmore to delete evidence that he had sex with her before her 16th birthday. After her death, he researched how to delete data from his own phone, court documents state. He is also accused of lying to the Massachusetts State Police investigators who initially handled the case.
"Let me be clear, Matthew Farwell's gun and badge did not grant him the authority to ignore the Constitution, and they certainly did not entitle him to sexually abuse and rape a child before killing her and her unborn baby in an attempt to cover up his alleged crimes," said Stephen Kelleher, assistant special agent in charge of FBI Boston.
Levy said his office and the FBI will share the results of their investigation with the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office and the other relevant state agencies so they can determine if state charges will be filed.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
Farwell, who was arrested Wednesday, met Birchmore when she was a member of the Stoughton Police Explorers Academy, a vocational program designed for youth interested in law enforcement careers. Birchmore started the program in spring 2010, when she was 12, and attended through around 2016. The indictment alleges that Farwell started having sex with Birchmore while she was underage and sometimes did so when he was supposed to be on duty.
Farwell is one of three former Stoughton police officers who were accused of having inappropriate sexual relationships with Birchmore, though only one is accused of starting when she was underage. The other officers have denied the allegations.
Birchmore's family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
The case has shined a light on allegations of abuse in the Explorers program. Earlier this year, The Marshall Project said it found at least 193 other allegations of inappropriate behavior from law enforcement, including grooming and sexual abuse, involving the Explorers program in the last 50 years.
The Boy Scouts, which created the program, told The Marshall Project at the time it has been committed to youth safety, and that "appropriate measures" are taken when "a leader in one of our programs has abused a position of trust" hold them accountable.
Read the federal indictment of Matthew Farwell here:
Read Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara's full statement here:
The day after Sandra Birchmore was found dead in her Canton apartment, I ordered a lengthy and aggressive internal affairs investigation, the instructions of which made it clear that no stone should be left unturned.
The Stoughton Police Department has supported other agencies and worked with other agencies, including the FBI investigation that today resulted in a murder indictment that concluded that Sandra was killed.
The alleged murder of Sandra is a horrific injustice. The allegations against the suspect, a former Stoughton Police Officer, represent the single worst act of not just professional misconduct but indeed human indecency that I have observed in a nearly three-decade career in law enforcement.
It has been my life’s work over these past three years to ensure that justice was served. As I have stated previously, Sandra Birchmore received no justice during her life. It is imperative that justice be served in her death, and today’s actions appear to bring our society one step closer to justice.
Read Norfolk District Attorney's Office spokesman David Traub's full statement here:
The Birchmore investigation has remained open and active, but as you know we do not comment extensively on active investigations.
That work has included collaboration with local police, the Attorney General of the Commonwealth, and the FBI, as each entity has unique resources and jurisdiction. Two State Police officers assigned to the Norfolk District Attorney's Office were at the command post for the operation when the apprehension was made in Revere. We look forward to supporting and assisting Federal authorities as they pursue this prosecution.
Read Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell's full statement here:
"While today's indictment does not bring back the precious life of Sandra Birchmore, these charges are an important step in holding Matthew Farwell accountable for his malicious, predatory, and horrific actions. I applaud the U.S. Attorney's Office and look forward to continuing to collaborate with them as my office continues its investigation into this matter."
